The dude who turned around Penn State? I don't watch much of the Nittany Lions but any guy who turns that program around after what happened to it has got to have some coaching skill. He's pretty young too, 45 or something?

Based on my ignorance, I have no opinion on the man, but to say he's done a great job at Penn State is premature, I would think. One year in does not mean a thing. I say that for any college coach. How many of the current players were recruited by him? Probably more than any other first year coach because of the Penn St. situation, but for the most part, he's winning with the last regime's recruits. That's not a bad thing, but it doesn't give us much of an idea as to what kind of guys he tries to acquire - something that's been an issue in Houston.

I'm not bashing Shaw. I just don't think his job was as hard as people make it out to be. Harbaugh rebuilt that program and Harbaugh stocked it. Then he left. Shaw has been charged with maintaining, which he has done. All of those studs that are NFL prospects right now weren't recruited by Shaw though.

O'Brien was handed a program that had just taken the biggest sanctions since SMU and has been *bowl eligible* both years. His team went 7-5 in a "power" conference this year despite having just 65 scholarship players. Not to mention a lot of their best upperclassmen transferred to avoid the sanctions. Many of those scholarship players are walk-ons who were awarded scholarships because they were available. He also took a former walk-on, Matt McGloin, and turned him into the Raiders current starting QB. Also, his true freshman QB this year looks like a future All-American. Going 15-9 under the circumstances is pretty darn impressive.

*They have a bowl ban because of sanctions so did not go to a bowl despite being eligible.

Recruiting is the last thing I worry about when it comes to hiring a college coach. I don't know of a single NFL coach who has ever had to go out and recruit his roster. They draft them and seeing a coach make his predecessors players work well is in my opinion a plus. Coaches have massive input when it comes to drafting players granted but they also have much more insight into what they're looking at as well as input from scouts and front office personnel. As long as they're drafting players without being the only guy in the room with input I'm comfortable with it.

If he can coach then that's what we're looking for. The law of averages says that sooner or later one of these Belichick guys is going to meet expectations. Why can't that guy be Bill O'Brien?

Based on my ignorance, I have no opinion on the man, but to say he's done a great job at Penn State is premature, I would think. One year in does not mean a thing. I say that for any college coach. How many of the current players were recruited by him? Probably more than any other first year coach because of the Penn St. situation, but for the most part, he's winning with the last regime's recruits. That's not a bad thing, but it doesn't give us much of an idea as to what kind of guys he tries to acquire - something that's been an issue in Houston.

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I think they lost a lot of star players due to the all of the sanctions placed on them. He was basically doing what he did on a "rag tag" squad...from what I know.

And I think they lost scholarships or something or other. He has done good in a bad situation just not sure how well he will fare as a HC in the nfl. I don't know enough of him to make a distinction.

Based on my ignorance, I have no opinion on the man, but to say he's done a great job at Penn State is premature, I would think. One year in does not mean a thing. I say that for any college coach. How many of the current players were recruited by him? Probably more than any other first year coach because of the Penn St. situation, but for the most part, he's winning with the last regime's recruits. That's not a bad thing, but it doesn't give us much of an idea as to what kind of guys he tries to acquire - something that's been an issue in Houston.

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Two years.

Actually, he has done an amazing job considering the sanctions that have been leveled against Penn State. That was a program that easily could have tanked. With no bowl games for 4-5 years and a stigma on the program, he's been able to put two winning teams on the field. He was even able to upset Wisconsin. He's also, from what I understand, recruited 2 top-30 classes even with his hands tied behind his back.

He coached Matt McGloin to a great season and then turned around and coached a (I think) unheralded freshman QB to a Freshman of the Year prize. So he appears to be good with young QBs -- not to mention calling plays for Tom Brady in Brady's best statistical season.

Based on my ignorance, I have no opinion on the man, but to say he's done a great job at Penn State is premature, I would think. One year in does not mean a thing. I say that for any college coach. How many of the current players were recruited by him? Probably more than any other first year coach because of the Penn St. situation, but for the most part, he's winning with the last regime's recruits. That's not a bad thing, but it doesn't give us much of an idea as to what kind of guys he tries to acquire - something that's been an issue in Houston.

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Fair point seeing as how I hold it against Shaw that he's done what he's done with Harbaugh's recruits.

I will say thought that the true freshman QB that O'Brien recruited was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year and looks like a future stud.

He coached Matt McGloin to a great season and then turned around and coached a (I think) unheralded freshman QB to a Freshman of the Year prize. So he appears to be good with young QBs -- not to mention calling plays for Tom Brady in Brady's best statistical season.

I would love to get this guy.

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Hackenberg was a 5-star recruit, as was the TE he recruited last year.

The impressive thing to me is that he was able to sell Penn State to the best QB and TE in the nation last year. Those guys signed with Penn State knowing that they would never be eligible to win a conference title or play in a bowl game.

Recruiting is the last thing I worry about when it comes to hiring a college coach.

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The only thing it factors in with me is I want to see how a coach does with his own guys. We made excuses for Kubiak early on here because he was still getting his guys. Well, once he had an entire team comprised of his guys, he didn't do any better. So I say the same thing for NFL coaches, but you never really worry about an NFL head coach only getting a year, so their track record is generally more in line with reality.

But hey, I know very little about the guy, so no one should mistake my comments as negative toward him.

I had a brief conversation about him with John Harris who played with him at Brown. He said he would have mixed emotions about him coming to Houston. On one hand he knows the guy personally, and he knows he'll eventually get skewered in the media, as all coaches do and that wouldn't be pleasant for John. On the other he "trusts him as a ball coach and would kick the organization right in the ass". Sign me up for the Bill O'Brien fan club.

I had a brief conversation about him with John Harris who played with him at Brown. He said he would have mixed emotions about him coming to Houston. On one hand he knows the guy personally, and he knows he'll eventually get skewered in the media, as all coaches do and that wouldn't be pleasant for John. On the other he "trusts him as a ball coach and would kick the organization right in the ass". Sign me up for the Bill O'Brien fan club.

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You had me at: kick the organization right in the ass.

Don't know much about Bill O'Brien, but, if he can do the above, let's bring him in for an interview.